


Simple Together

by Grace1996



Series: Jemily [5]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-01-30 15:08:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12655968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grace1996/pseuds/Grace1996
Summary: Short glimpses into Emily and J.J.'s relationship throughout the years.Based on the song "Simple Together" by Alanis Morissette. Not quite a song fic.





	1. Best Friend & Mentor

Jennifer looked at the dark-haired woman sitting across from her on the jet and smiled. The older woman smiled her radiant smile at the blonde. J.J. felt butterflies in her stomach. Emily's smile always did that to her. Always gave her butterflies. Always made her happy. Always filled her with an almost child-like sense of giddiness.

"What are you thinking about?" Emily asked her friend.

"Oh, nothing, really."

Emily raised her eyebrow as if to say _I don't think so_.

"Don't make that face," J.J. laughed. "I was just thinking about how lucky that I am to have you for a best friend."

"I'm the lucky one, Jayje," Emily smiled. "Making any friend at all, let alone a best friend, was more than I could have hoped for when I joined the B.A.U."

"Same for me. I never thought that I would ever have such a good friend at work."

"Oh, so I'm just a work friend, then? Too bad for you because I was going to invite you over for a girl's night this weekend but Garcia and I will have a good time on our own."

"Oh, shut up," J.J. giggled, "You know what I meant."

"I do," Emily said with a laugh.

"So you were serious about that girl's night this weekend? Because I sure could use it."

"Well, I actually hadn't had anything planned 'til I said it, but it is starting to sound like a good plan, especially after this week."

"Yay! It's a date," J.J. said so excitedly that she almost woke the sleeping Spencer next to her.

Emily put her finger to her lips as if to say _shhhh_ and gave the younger woman a brilliant smile.

"Don't wake Reid unless you want to hear an encyclopedic listing of the benefits of sleep and how those benefits are diminished when rudely woken by loud team members."

"You're so bad, Em. You know you love Reid."

"I do. And you know you love me."

 _I do_ , J.J. thought to herself. She flashed a smile at Emily.

"Anyway, back to what I was saying," J.J. said wanting to divert the subject from her true feelings for her best friend. "I never thought that I would get a best friend out of this job. I mean, Elle was pretty awesome but we never really clicked like you and I do. And Garcia is great, I love her with my whole heart, but she deals with all this darkness in a different way than I do and it's nice to have someone who gets it in the same way that I do."

Emily blushed at J.J.'s words.

"You've also been like a mentor to me. Other agents have just seen me as a communications liaison, which I am, but you see more. You see that I can make valuable contributions to this team. You have helped encourage me and helped hone my profiling skills so I can help profile, even if I am just a communications liaison."

"I may have helped you better understand profiling," Emily told her friend while playing with her own hands nervously, "but you have helped me better understand life. You have helped me realize that everything isn't always about work and that it is okay to focus on the good in my life and not feel guilty. You are a mentor to me just as much as I've been a mentor to you, if not more."

The butterflies were back in J.J.'s stomach and a blush rose to her cheeks.

"Goodness, could you guys either quiet down or get a room? Some of us are trying to get a full eight hours of sleep," a sleepy Spencer spoke up.

"Reid, you're just jealous of the love that Jayje and I share," Emily told him jokingly.

"I'm not jealous of anything that you guys share, including your lack of sleep," Reid exclaimed before dramatically turning over in his chair.

J.J. burst out laughing and Emily joined in. J.J. stole a glance at Emily, wanting to savor the moment. Wanting to ingrain the sound of Emily's laughter and flushed face into her memory.


	2. Soulmate & Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> J.J. and Emily talk about their first meeting and their belief in soulmates.

J.J. felt herself being pulled awake. She rolled over in resistance. It backfired. A stream of light drifting into her bedroom through a slat in the window blinds landed on her closed eyelids and turned the inside of her eyelids from black into a bright red.

 _Well, I guess I’m awake_ , she thought to herself while opening her eyes.

Her cool blues orbs glanced around the room that was bathed in morning light. Her messy blankets, a bit of blue sky and her neighbor’s house peeking through the blinds, the bedside table with her alarm clock and charging cellphone, and in the doorway, her beautiful girlfriend.

“Were you watching me sleep again, you creep?” She asked the tall brunette with a laugh.

“You’re just so beautiful,” Emily told her while walking towards the bed. “And when you’re sleeping it’s one of the most peaceful things I’ve ever seen.”

Emily sat on the edge of the bed and leaned in to give her love a good morning kiss. The two women gazed at each other lovingly with smiles on their faces.

“You know, Em,” J.J. began. “The day I met you, when your paperwork was all messed up and Hotch didn’t want you on the team, I never thought that we would end up here.”

“Me either,” the older woman admitted. “When I first saw you, it took my breath away. I thought it was just because of my first-day nerves and all the confusion with my being on the team. That was a tough and emotionally draining day; but, it was the day I met you and I am so thankful for that day.”

“I am too. And now I get to catch you up on a different type of protocol,” J.J. winked.

Emily laughed and blushed at the thought of the previous night’s activities.

“I love your laugh,” the blonde whispered, “It is warm, like the feeling of home.” 

“You’re my home, Jayje.”

“Do you believe in soulmates, Em? Because I do. I believe that everyone has a soulmate, even if it’s just a friend soulmate. I know it’s silly and that I should think logically but I can’t help but believe in soulmates because it is the only way I can understand how I was so lucky to find you.”

“You know me, Jayje,” Emily replied, “I’m logical. Before I knew you, I would have said no, soulmates do not exist. People can have deep affinities for other individuals but the idea of soulmates, two souls that were made for each other, never made sense to me. With what I’d seen and known of love, there was no way that it could be possible. But, you, my love, you’ve changed that. Maybe I’m still apprehensive toward the idea and maybe I’m still not sure that everyone has a soulmate; but, I know now that _I_ have a soulmate and that that soulmate is you. I was made to be with you.”

J.J. was in awe of Emily’s words. The two women had been dating for almost a year now and had been friends for many before that but J.J. was still awestruck by Emily every time the brunette let her walls down.

 _Damn, I am the luckiest woman in the world_ , she thought as she crawled out from under the covers to kiss her soulmate.

Her lips met Emily’s and she could taste the cup of coffee Emily had already had that morning. Emily kissed J.J. back and gently laid the younger woman back down onto the bed. The two women let themselves get caught in the moment, two souls entwining together.


	3. Simple & Happy

J.J. was laying on the couch, eating some chips, and watching mindless TV when she heard the doorbell ring.

 _Please be the pictures. Please be the pictures_ , she thought as she pushed herself off the couch. She walked to the door and peeked through the peephole. She saw a brown figure and hoped it was the UPS guy.

“Hey, Rick,” she said after she had opened the door and saw that it was, in fact, the neighborhood UPS delivery man.

“Hey, Jennifer,” he said with a friendly smile. “I have a package here for you.”

 “Awesome! I’m so glad they finally came in,” J.J. exclaimed as she signed for the package.

Rick handed J.J. her package and walked back to his truck with a smile and a wave. After he made it out of the yard and into his truck, J.J. shut the front door and practically ran into the kitchen.

She placed the package on the counter and glanced at the sender’s address.

           _Thompson Photography_

She was in the middle of raiding the drawers, trying to find the scissors when she realized that Emily might want to be here when she opened the package. She picked up her phone and called the brunette.

“Hey, babe,” Emily answered.

“Hey, Em. The pictures finally came in!”

“Did they really? That’s great,” Emily laughed. “You act like you’ve been waiting for them for years instead of two months.”

"Well it sure feels like years,” the blonde exclaimed. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to wait for you to get home before I opened them?”

“Go ahead, love. I still have to get the stuff for the soup and stop by the post office. I’ll see them when I get home.”

“Thank you! I don’t know if I could have waited if you wanted me to. I love you!”

“I love you too, Jayje. Now go open that package before you explode with excitement,” Emily replied.

J.J. hung up the phone with a smile and continued to look for the scissors. When she found them, she cut through the tape and took out the large white envelope from the box. She opened the envelope and pulled out the pictures.

J.J. gasped when she saw the pictures and started to cry happy tears.

The very first picture was of Emily in a low-cut white jumpsuit with her black hair softly curled. J.J. was next to her in her simple, white, trumpet-shaped dress with her golden hair pulled up except for a few ringlets that framed her face. They both had ecstatic smiles on their faces as they stared deeply into each other’s eyes. Behind them was the big oak tree in Rossi’s backyard decorated with twinkling lights. And surrounding them were the faces of those they loved the most: their parents, J.J.’s brother, their childhood friends, and of course, their team.

The rest of the pictures were just as beautiful. Pictures of J.J. and Emily by themselves, pictures of the bridesmaids and bridesmen, pictures of their first dance and cake cutting, pictures of their guests laughing and enjoying themselves, and so much more.

Looking at the pictures stirred up a feeling of pure hoy in J.J. Even though it had already been two months since the day she married the love of her life, it felt like no time had passed at all.

She and Emily had a simple life together. They would go to work, run errands, and sometimes have friends over. They lived together in simplicity and happiness. Neither of them could ask for more. They had each other and their love and that was all they needed.


	4. Limitless & Precious

The air was cool, No, crisp. So crisp that it burned J.J.’s nose and throat before turning into a sharp blade that sliced her lungs.  It hurt, but in a good way. Running was one of her favorite things to do. Especially in the early hours of a perfect fall morning. It gave her time to think about her life, compartmentalize work from home, and just mentally work through whatever was going on in her life. Best of all, it gave J.J. time to think about the love of her life, Emily Prentiss.

Emily had been gone for a little over a week. She had gone to visit her mother in Italy. J.J. and Henry were supposed to go with her, but Henry’s school had decided to move their PARCC testing up a week, causing the plans to change and J.J. and Henry to stay home. J.J. missed her wife and Henry missed his Momma. It would only be three more days until Emily returned but neither one could wait.

J.J. was rounding the corner of the block that her house sat on when her smart watch buzzed, pulling her out of her thoughts and alerting her that she had a message. She looked down at her wrist to see what the message was. It was a WhatsApp message from Emily:

_Good morning, my love. You should almost be done with your run? Give me a call when you finish. XO_

J.J. slowed to a walk and unzipped the pocket on her yoga pants. She pulled out her phone, impatient to call Emily.

_Fuck it,_ she thought, _it’s only half a block and I miss her._

J.J. opened up her and Emily’s conversation on WhatsApp and hit the “call” button. She held her breath, waiting to hear her wife’s voice. She didn’t have to wait long; Emily picked up on the first ring.

“Well hello, baby. That was fast,” Emily greeted J.J.

“Yeah, well I was just about finished and I _reeeally_ wanted to talk to you.”

“You miss me that much? I thought you’d be glad to be rid of me.”

J.J. laughed at Emily’s joke, “Never.”

“So, are you at the house now?”

“Not yet, I was coming around the corner when you messaged and decided to walk the rest of the way. I’m about two houses down, at the Vandevender’s.”

“Ahhh, I see. So, what you’re saying is that you’re slacking off this morning?”

“Shut up,” J.J. giggled. “You seem to be in a good mood this morning.”

“I am.”

“And why would that be?”

“Some stuff happened with Mother’s work and she’s having to return a couple days earlier than planned. While I’m sad our visit will be cut short, I am also very happy because that means I get to return to my beautiful family tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!?” J.J. asked in disbelief.

“Emily smiled, “Tomorrow.”

“Babe, that’s wonderful! I am so excited! Henry will be so excited!” J.J. gushed out. “Do you want to tell him yourself? I’m walking up to the house now and Penelope should have him up by now.”

“I would love to!”

J.J. opened the front door to her house and walked inside. She kicked off her shoes in the doorway, a habit that drove Emily insane, and saw Penelope and Henry eating cereal.

“Hey, Henry,” she called to her son. “Guess who is on the phone and wants to talk to you?”

“Momma!” The young boy sprang out of his seat and rushed towards his mother.

“Yes, Momma. Here you go love,” she said as she handed her phone to Henry.

“Hi, Momma! I sure do miss you,” Henry told Emily as he ran to the other room.

"Good news, I’m guessing?” Penelope asked J.J.

“Emily is coming home two days early,” J.J. told her blonde friend. Penelope smiled an almost mischievous grin.

“But you already knew that, didn’t you?” J.J. asked.

“Darling, I am the all-knowing empress of the B.A.U., of course, I knew,” Garcia laughed. “But also, Emily called me this morning while you were on your run. She needed help changing her ticket.”

J.J. chuckled.

“It’s a good thing a love that woman so darn much because her technological skills are nonexistent.”

“You’re not the one that had to deal with it for the seven years she was around before ya’ll got together!” Penelope joked.

Both women stood in the kitchen laughing together, happy knowing that their best friend would be home soon.


	5. Sexy

It had been a long day. The longest day J.J. had experienced in what seemed like forever. It all started when she had to wake up at 5:00 am to make it on time to a 7:00 am meeting in D.C. Then, it was the almost hour’s drive to Quantico where she worked on paperwork for eight hours. Afterward, she went for dinner and drinks with Penelope. She then proceeded to drive a drunk Penelope home before making the 37-minute drive back to the house she shared with her wife. All in all, she had been going for 15 hours and she was beyond ready to relax.

J.J. parked her red sedan in the driveway next to Emily’s black SUV. She got out of the car and walked to the front door. She entered the house, threw her keys in the dish on the table by the door, and called out to her wife.

“Emily, I’m home!”

“Well, it’s about damn time,” Emily joked as she met J.J. in the foyer. “I missed you today.”

“You’re right about that. I missed you, too.”

The two women leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. As the kiss broke and Emily locked the front door, Jennifer had the perfect opportunity to observe her lovely wife. Emily was wearing a fluffy bathrobe and slippers. The white robe offset the older woman’s raven black hair that was pulled into a messy bun with her bangs framing her face. She had washed off her makeup for the night and J.J. could tell by the slight tropical scent and light glaze over Emily’s eyes that her wife had had a bath with a glass of wine.

 _I wish she had waited for me to join her_ , J.J. thought as she shook her head amusedly.

“What are you smiling at, babe?”

 “You’re just so beautiful, that’s all.”

Emily smiled her magnificent smile and J.J. got butterflies in her belly. The two women walked into the kitchen where Emily proceeded to pour two glasses of wine.

“So, I see you had a bath without me?” J.J. asked quizzically.

“I did; but, only because I have other plans for tonight besides bath and bed,” Emily smirked as she handed her wife the wine.

“Oh, really? And what may those plans be?”

“You’ll just have to wait and find out, won’t you?” Emily stepped towards J.J.

“Emily, you’re such a tease.” J.J. took a step backward and found herself against the counter.

“Oh, yeah?” Emily asked as she bit her lip.

“Yes.”

Emily leaned down to kiss her wife but stopped just before their lips touched. Both women breathed heavily, and Emily lightly ran her fingers up and down J.J.’s arm.

“I think you’re right, Mrs. Jareau,” Emily smiled as she turned around and walked away from the blond. Right before she walked through the kitchen doorway, she turned around, smirked, and seductively spoke. “Well, if you really want to know what my plans are, then I suggest you meet me in our bedroom.”

J.J. stood against the counter and tried to catch her breath as she watched Emily walk up the stairs to the bedroom. _Fuck_ , she thought. _That woman is going to wish she hadn’t teased me this way_.


End file.
